Apple iPhone news

[The Man]

LG is coming out with a 'iPhone' that will blow this out of the water in a few months

LG can't make a cell phone that works period. I heard LG's phone actually isn't working the way they had hoped. Doesn't surprise me a Verizon rep would say that though....

 

[Taosman]

Time to kiss and make up boys!
Josh makes some great points about the potential cost of simply dropping your $500 iPhone. Everyone drops their phone at some point. The idea of wrecking a phone that expensive scares even me!

 

[Big Papa]

From the Washington Post:

 

[jwinslow]

IGN

The Pros and Cons of the Apple iPhone: Part One
Or in other words, why you should buy it and why you shouldn't.

Pro: It's Smaller Than You Realize and it's Got Style to Spare
The iPhone is so untraditionally pretty that it's easy to forget it's technically a "smart phone," which puts it in the same category as a Blackberry or Motorola Q. These competing cells have never been aesthetic stunners -- even the skinny, stainless steel Q is covered in bulky buttons which prevent it from sporting a larger screen. At a thickness of only 0.46 inches (11.6mm), the iPhone is actually thinner than the Q (at 12mm), which is remarkable given Motorola's smart phone already rivals the RAZR where slimness is concerned.

Con: It Doesn't Ship with an Instant Messenger Program

Pro: Multi-touch Tech and Sleek, Simple Interface

Con: The Keyboard is Unproven

Pro: Music-player, Movie-player, Internet Browser and Phone in One

Con: Its Storage Capacity Rivals iPod Nano, not iPod
The fact that iPhone can manage so many media and interface-related feats with style and elegance is impressive, but for some the device's media limitations could place it firmly in con territory. iPhone is available in either a four-gigabyte or eight-gigabyte model, which means that it's essentially got the same storage capacity as today's iPod nanos. Four GBs holds about 1,000 songs and eight GBs twice that.

Pro: It Plays YouTube Movies
Apple recently announced that iPhone will be able to download and play YouTube movies. A new front-screen icon dedicated to YouTube content has even been added to the cell's stylish interface. The mobile will only play back YouTube movies encoded in the Apple-friendly h.264 video format.

 

[jwinslow]

IGN

The Pros and Cons of the Apple iPhone: Part Two

Con: It Uses EDGE, not 3G
If you haven't dedicated yourself to learning the intricacies of the various cell phone networks, you may have overlooked the black sheep uncle that the iPhone doesn't like to talk about. Uh-huh, amidst all the technology and all the top-of-the-line software, from touch-screens to widgets, Cover Flow to Safari Web browsing, is the device's data network: EDGE. When Apple CEO Steve Jobs revealed last January that the iPhone would utilize Cingular/AT&T's decidedly out-of-date EDGE service, he did so almost apologetically

Pro: The Battery Life is (Surprisingly) Good

Con: Third Parties Don't Have Access to iPhone
At the Worldwide Developers Conference in June, Apple CEO Steve Jobs put his best spin on the revelation that the company had no plans to release an iPhone Software Development Kit to interested third parties. SDKs provide the tools and libraries necessary to get the most out of any hardware, enabling programmers to go deep and push their respective systems. The loss of an SDK means that third party makers will probably never be able to match the power and presentation of the iPhone software that comes directly from Apple.

Pro: Seamless Connection to Your Computer and iTunes

Con: The Price and the Lack of Concrete Plan Info and Rates
There's no disputing the fact that iPhone is one of, if not the most technologically advanced mobiles on the market. However, it's also incredibly pricey. The 4GB model runs for $499 and the 8GB one will set you back a whopping $599. For comparison's sake, that's the same price as Sony's PlayStation 3, which is currently performing under expectations in the marketplace in large because of its high cost. Apple can trumpet its position that iPhone is a smart phone and iPod in one, and therefore the price makes sense, but that doesn't change the fact that a lot of people simply won't be able to afford it.

 

[Wingate1217]

For those in a betting mood....

Odds Given on iPhone Failure

Odds Given on iPhone Failure | LiveScience

When the long-awaited iPhone hits store shelves this week, no doubt many Apple enthusiasts will adopt early as they've done in the past with other products from the company. But just how crazy it gets is anyone's bet.
In fact, BetUS.com figures the odds are 20-1 that someone will get trampled while scrambling to snag one June...(more)

 

[Jeffcat]

i look at this like anything else thats big on the market and new. it will have first model bugs and sell for a million dollars but after a couple years it will have various models that are better and bug free at half the price.

 

[Bleed S & G]

my point was telling Bleed S&G that if he would be carrying a $500 phone that he needs to be responsible and not have the extra beers and get stupid

Yeah well the phone would stay in the car if I was having a beer without insurance I've had one too many accidents

But I wouldn't, perosnally, be willing to fork out that kind of money when there is no insurance offered with it. If you want to, great. It's not even about being responsible because sometimes shit happens and I'm not in a postion finacially to have my phone, which is my livelihood, replaced a time or two at $500 a whack.

I don't consider buying a $500 phone without some kind of insurance to be very responsible.

I agree.. I know myself too well

LG can't make a cell phone that works period. I heard LG's phone actually isn't working the way they had hoped. Doesn't surprise me a Verizon rep would say that though....

\

The verison rep didnt mention their(VZWs) new iPhone, one of the sales guys did but he's a jackass, i wont lie. The rep told me they weren't offering insurance on them and something or another about getting me upgraded and yada yada

Jwins, thanks for the pro's & con's

 

[Bleed S & G]

June 26, 2007 -- TENS of thousands of people are expected to line up this Friday for themost hyped gadget of the decade - the iPhone.

Don't be one of them.

Oh, it's a technological marvel. But Apple's all-in-one handheld isn't the best cellphone - or even the best iPhone - that will be sold in the next year.

DON'T GET 'HUNG UP' ON BUYING AN IPHONE | By GLENN FLEISHMAN | Columnists | Steve Dunleavy | Andrea Peyser

Goes onto say they're already working on iPhone 2.0, this iPhone (comes out 6/29) requires a 2 year commitment and monthly charges havn't been announced yet. He also says he only spent a "brief time" with the iPhone

 

[Big Papa]

Price Plans for the iPhone Revealed:

I have to say, not too bad. Impressed that unlimited data is included with each plan and $60/month is not that bad. No different than my BlackBerry.

 

[Ginn4Heisman]

5 reasons not to get the phone..

Why I'm Not Getting an iPhone : Gina Hughes : Yahoo! Tech

• Price/Storage: Probably the biggest reason to wait is the price.The iPhone will retail in stores for $500 (4GB) and $600 (8GB) ? AND you still have to sign a new two-year agreement. Don't expect this phone to replace your iPod either. The top-of-the-line $600, 8GB iPhone only holds 2,000 songs, and only a handful of videos and full-length movies. I also don't understand why you have to buy the iPhone at full price, and still sign a two-year contract. You could easily get a comparable phone actually running on a 3G network like a Treo 750 for $199 with a two-year contract, or an 80GB video iPod for almost half the price.
• Plans: What's really bothering me about this is AT&T is playing into all this hype too, forgetting about its customers. I called AT&T today to find out more details about switching carriers, and the rep was clueless. Come on guys, we needed pricing details about a month before the phone went on sale so we could estimate costs. Why is the company being so secretive? We know the phone is launching on Friday, and we know what it does. So why did it wait so long to reveal service plans? At least now we know getting an iPhone isn't going to be cheap. Chris Null outlined the cost of each service plan, the cheapest plan being $60/mo for 450 minutes. He says that in two years, you'll end up paying close to $2,000 for service alone. Plus there is that $36 activation fee, and a two-year contract on top of that. Those who already have an AT&T account can expect to pay an additional $20-$30 for the "iPhone plan" which includes Visual Voicemail, 200 SMS text messages, and unlimited data since there is no voice-only plan. And if you think you can get the iPhone to use without service, think again. Apple's web site says a two-year agreement is required for iPhone activation including iPod features.
• Network: Surprisingly, the iPhone does not run on a third-generation (3G) network, instead it runs on the slower EDGE network. Forbes thinks Apple opted for the slower network because AT&T's EDGE coverage spans across 13,000 cities and towns nationwide, compared with only 165 major U.S metro areas that have 3G coverage. It also brings up another excellent point. Since 3G devices are interchangeable between faster and slower networks, why did Apple still choose EDGE? Other AT&T smartphones like Samsung's BlackJack and Treo 750 run on 3G, and for what I understand AT&T is slowing moving away from EDGE. So perhaps a second- or third-generation iPhone will have 3G capability. And while the iPhone may have Wi-Fi capabilities, realistically, looking for a hotspot when you're out can be a challenge, unless you pay an extra $10 for T-Mobile access at Starbucks.
• First Generation: A geek's rule of thumb is to never get a first generation gadget. Apple is one of the few companies that revamps its products at such a quick pace, that in this case, they actually make it quite bearable to wait for the second revision. Look at all the improvements they've made on iPods and MacBooks. It may seem like waiting for a new iPhone will be an eternity, but I bet it'll be a matter of months before we see a better, faster version.
• Long Lines: I love technology as much as the next guy, but no gadget is worth standing in line days in advance for, not even the iPhone. People have already started to line up, and some are even betting real money that someone will get trampled. I would add getting shot at, beaten, mugged, and possibly being hospitalized to the list.

 

[sandgk]

Oh Lord, won't you buy me a color TV ....

 

[rocketman]

Went to Easton yesterday because it was beautiful outside and bumped into a mob of people at the Apple store. I can't ever remember a time when people (and not just tech geeks) got so damn excited about a phone. There were 20 or so display models and each one had 3-4 people crowding around it. My friend, who's a little backwards when it comes to technology (she refuses to use text messages or get on AIM) was instantly drawn to this thing. Kind of neat to see that.

As far as the phone goes, I found myself torn between the coolness factor, the lack of features, and the price tag. The coolness factor (Apple's legendary "reality distortion field") is through the roof. If there is any one thing that sets itself apart, it's the screen. In direct sunlight, viewing a movie (they had The Italian Job loaded on the phone) was a cinch - very cool. The touch screen is neat but typing takes getting used too.

Web pages took forever to load but that could be due to the wifi or EDGE getting slammed. It was not as smooth as I thought - zooming in and out, accidentally clicking links, etc makes it not as intuitive as I hoped.

iPod is neat, coverflow is beautiful but not very practical. Doing multiple things is a snap - everything works very fast although some times going from landscape to portrait and vice versa was kinda slow - the phone took a second to figure out what direction it was facing.

Google Maps is the greatest feature on this thing - and maybe ever for an electronic device. I HATE getting lost and finding places and directions on this thing blows everything away. Give me GPS and it would be even better. For shits we looked up California Pizza Kitchen (it found it - "OMG It's just down the street! Wow!") clicked on the phone number and checked to see what the wait was. I mean...the possibilities are endless.

All in all, maybe with a bunch of software updates that (hopefully) will bring more features - like MMS, wtf people send picture messages Apple, get a clue - and a reduced price tag, I'd seriously consider getting one. But for now, my company is giving me a free BlackBerry. Kind of hard to turn that down.

 

[Thump]

Anyone who spends this much money on a phone is a fucking loser.

 

[Ttown]

5 or 6 hundred for a phone? you got to be kidding me. I'd use a string and two cans first.